A union representing federal employees told its members not to resign as part of President Donald Trump’s buyout offer.
Trump’s Office of Personnel Management sent an email to federal employees this week giving them a choice: return to the office full-time or leave with eight months of pay. The OPM email said that even government employees who stay on could eventually lose their jobs as Trump reshapes the federal government and its workforce.
The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents federal workers in 36 departments and agencies, told its members to hold the line.
“Make no mistake: this email is designed to entice or scare you into resigning from the federal government,” the union said. “We strongly urge you not to resign in response to this email. You are a vital part of the non-partisan civil service, and you work hard every day to deliver for the American people.”
White House officials estimated that the in-office requirement will prompt 5% to 10% of federal employees to exit. The administration estimated it could lead to $100 billion in yearly savings. The White House did not provide information about how it reached that estimate.
A frequently-asked-questions document that went out with the email noted: “the federal workforce is expected to undergo significant near-term changes.”
The email also noted that “the majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force. These actions are likely to include the use of furloughs and the reclassification to at-will status for a substantial number of federal employees.”
The U.S. government employs about 2.4 million federal workers, excluding the military (about 1.3 million active-duty military personnel) and U.S. Postal Service (about 600,000 employees), according to 2024 Pew Research report. That report noted that the federal government employed 1.87% of the entire civilian workforce. That percentage includes postal employees, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
